Reconstructive Surgery

Plastic surgeons perform more than one million reconstructive procedures each year. Reconstructive surgery helps men, women and children of all ages and types, whether their problem is a birth defect, an injury or an age-related condition. Our plastic surgeons can provide a wide variety of reconstructive procedures for patients in the Kansas City area. View the links below for more details on these services.

Reconstruction of a breast that has been removed due to cancer or other disease is one of the most rewarding surgical procedures available today. New medical techniques and devices have made it possible for surgeons to create a breast that can come close in form and appearance to matching a natural breast. To learn more, meet our patients and read their stories.

Saline and silicone breast implants are commonly used during breast reconstruction surgery. This type of procedure is common among women who wish to have a lower-cost procedure or those who have insufficient tissue for a free flap procedure.

During tissue-based breast reconstruction, tissue from your body is used to create breasts that look and feel realistic. Special microsurgical techniques help ensure proper blood flow and a successful procedure.

The Cleft and Craniofacial Clinic offers comprehensive care for a full range of craniofacial anomalies. This includes procedures to repair conditions, such as cleft lip and palate and craniosynostosis, as well as for injuries or scarring caused by burns, disease or accident.

The complete reconstruction of the ear using rib grafts is the most complicated surgical procedure for the ear. Though there are a number of other reconstruction techniques available, including implants, soft tissue and prosthetics, the most common technique uses rib cartilage to shape the ear.

Major advances have been made treating patients with hand injuries, degenerative disorders, and birth defects of the hand. Plastic surgeons have been at the forefront of these advances, with their interest in improving both function and appearance. Plastic surgeons undergo intensive training in hand surgery, and they treat patients with a wide range of hand problems. Read Steve Pelegrin's story of his woodworking accident and successful replantation surgery.

Reconstructive surgeons can use a medical laser to remove or diminish skin imperfections or growths with minimum bleeding, bruising, and scarring. A variety of lasers can be used, depending on your goals and your surgeon's recommendation.

Plastic surgeons can often improve the appearance of a scar, making it less obvious through the injection or application of certain steroid medications or through surgical procedures known as scar revisions.

Skin cancer is diagnosed by removing all or part of a skin growth and examining its cells under a microscope. It can be treated by a number of methods, depending on the type of cancer, its stage of growth, and its location on your body.

Removal of skin lesions is typically recommended if the lesion shows signs of possible malignancy such as changing color or shape, many of these lesions may still be harmless, though a biopsy will be performed on the removed lesion to know for sure.

Tissue expansion is a relatively straightforward procedure that enables the body to "grow" extra skin for use in reconstructing almost any part of the body. A silicone balloon expander is inserted under the skin near the area to be repaired and then gradually filled with saltwater over time, causing the skin to stretch and grow.